North End Pizza slices pie East Coast style

New York and Boston have more in common than a bitter baseball rivalry. A good slice from each city tastes similar.

"It's all East Coast pizza," says Claudia Vaccari, owner of North End Pizza, 6440 N. Durango Drive. (Of course, many New Yorkers would refute this claim -- especially those who refuse to acknowledge the existence of other cities on their coast. But there's no settling that argument.)

First, there's the cheese. Non-East Coasters often call it "greasy" and whip out napkins for sopping.

"The grease is the best part," Vaccari insists, adding that some soppers then request eight ounces of ranch dressing for dunking.

"I'm like, 'What are you people doing to my pizza?' "

A good East Coast crust is thin, a tad nutty, and baked to a harmony of crunchy and doughy.

"It's the water," Vaccari says. "Vegas water is horrible."

The reason all East Coast pie-eaters should at least give North End Pizza a shot, Vaccari says, is because she imports her dough pre-made -- East Coast water included.

"My father and my brother wholesale pizza dough and sauce," she says, "and even back east, their dough is better than anybody's."

Vaccari, who relocated from North Boston in 2000, founded what she called East Coast Pizza three years later. She opened and sold three locations.

"Every one went out of business because the people who bought them started cutting corners," she says. "They started using cheaper sauce and cheaper cheese."

So she opened North End Pizza in March with no intention to sell, she says, "just so I can have good pizza near my house."

The only complaints Vaccari reports receiving so far come from New Yorkers. They're about the decor, not the food.

"They say, 'I don't think I can eat in here because there's Red Sox (expletive) on the wall,' " she says.

North End Pizza, which seats 45, is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Reservations are not required.

Starters: Chicken wings, $6.50; zucchini sticks, $3.75; garlic knots, $3.50

Soups/salads: Antipasto salad, $6.50; soup of the day, $2; chicken Caesar salad, $6.50

Entrees: Spaghetti, rigatoni or ravioli with chicken, eggplant or meatball Parmesan, $7.75; 16-inch large cheese pizza, $13.25; 14-inch meatball calzone, $12

Desserts: Cannoli, $2.50; fried dough, $3.50

Information: 645-9006

By COREY LEVITAN